Submitted on September 7, 2004 by Tim Kelly

Question: I have a 35ft Endeavour that came with a Gennaker. It also had a
whisker pole until yesterday. I used the whisker pole with the Gennaker on a
downwind run in 10 to 15 knot winds. We went along fine for a few hours until
the inside pole bent. Is it OK to use a whisker pole with a Gennaker or is it too
much compression? Or was it sized only to be used with my jib? By the way I
wasn't using a topping lift or downhaul on the whisker pole. I was getting some
rise on the clew but I didn't think it was too much and seemed pretty steady. In
looking at the web sites for whisker poles I also noticed I had the pole reversed.
The inside pole should be attached to the clew and the outside to the mast.
Could that have caused the failure?

Thanks in advance for any info.
Tim Kelly

Answer: Dear Tim, It is not a good idea to use an adjustable wisker pole with a gennaker. A gennaker is a much more powerful sail than a jib so it will load up the pole a lot more.

Regards,
Dan Neri

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